Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Pornography: Internet

lord farmer: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether their forthcoming internet safety strategy will address the harms of pornography to adults, including to their interpersonal relationships; whether any measures to mitigate such harms were included in the Internet Safety Strategy green paper published in October 2017; and, if not, why not.

lord ashton of hyde: Evidence has shown that the easy availability and nature of online pornography is changing the way children understand healthy relationships, sex and consent. The Digital Economy Act 2017 will require commercial providers of online pornography to have robust age verification controls in place to prevent children from accessing pornographic material online, as is already the case offline. We do not have plans to restrict adults' access to this content and this issue was not specifically highlighted in the Internet Safety Strategy. The Strategy does look more widely at how we can build users' digital literacy skills and includes initiatives which will help users access the benefits of the Internet, while managing potential risks.

BBC: Equal Pay

lord truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Ashton of Hyde on 9 January (HL Deb, cols 130–34), whether they intend to make representations to the BBC regarding their duties under the Equality Act 2010.

lord ashton of hyde: The Government is clear that as a public service broadcaster funded by the licence fee, the BBC has a responsibility to set an example for others and lead the way in promoting equality in the workplace, and the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport speaks to the BBC on this. The Equality and Human Rights Commission is the regulatory body responsible for policing equal pay and it is for them, not the Government, to investigate this matter and take further action if necessary.

Department for Exiting the European Union

Migrant Workers

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UK remains competitive in attracting overseas talent following Brexit.

lord callanan: The Government has always been clear that we do not regard the referendum result as a vote to pull up the drawbridge. The UK will remain an open and tolerant country and will continue to welcome those with the skills, drive and expertise to make a positive contribution. The Government has commissioned the Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) to gather evidence on patterns of EU migration and the role of migration in the wider economy, ahead of our exit from the EU. The Government will carefully consider any recommendations made to it by the MAC before finalising the details of the future immigration system for EU nationals.

Brexit

lord taylor of warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to prepare for a "no deal" Brexit; and what impact the absence of a designated "no deal" Minister will have on such preparations.

lord callanan: We want our future relationship with the EU to be a deep and special partnership, taking in both economic and security cooperation. We are confident that a future partnership between the UK and EU is in the interests of both sides, so we approach these negotiations anticipating success. We do not want or expect a no deal outcome. However, a responsible government should prepare for all potential outcomes, including the unlikely scenario in which no mutually satisfactory agreement can be reached. That is exactly what we are doing across the whole of Government. The Secretary of State for the Department for Exiting the European Union continues to be responsible for conducting negotiations in support of the Prime Minister and leading policy work to ensure a smooth exit from the EU. The Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, Steve Baker, continues to support this work including remaining responsible for contingency planning.

Brexit: Wales

lord elystan-morgan: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they have received from the Welsh Assembly any formal indication of its intention to reconsider withholding legislative consent to the European Union (Withdrawal) Bill; and if such consent continues to be withheld, what action they intend to take.

lord callanan: The December 2017 interim report on legislative consent from the Welsh Assembly’s External Affairs and Additional Legislation Committee recommends “that the Assembly withhold its consent for the Bill in its current form” but notes that “this is an interim report and, should the Bill be amended, [the committee] will issue a further report.” We continue to have positive discussions with the devolved administrations and legislatures to find an agreed approach to clause 11 of the Bill and we intend to bring forward amendments during the Bill’s Lords stages. We are committed to achieving legislative consent for this vital piece of legislation.